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In summary
- Matai Tagoa’i signed a NIL agreement with USC, receiving part of his compensation in Bitcoin through Strike.
- Tagoa’i seeks to inspire other young athletes and promote long-term financial growth with this decision.
- Athletes like Odell Beckham Jr. and Russell Okung have already successfully opted for Bitcoin payments in the past.
College football’s top prospect, Matai Tagoa’i, is set to join football stars like Russell Okung, Odell Beckham Jr. and Trevor Lawrence in receiving his compensation in Bitcoin.
The linebacker will receive part of his earnings through the Strike app after signing a “name, image and likeness” (NIL) agreement with the University of Southern California (USC).
The exact details of his contract are not known, but some college football players, such as Shedeur Sanders, have received estimated payments of up to $4.7 million for signing similar deals.
These types of agreements give an organization the right to use an athlete’s image as they see fit, for example, in video games, official merchandise, or brand sponsorships.
“This is life-changing for me,” Tagoa’i said. “By receiving part of my NIL earnings in Bitcoin, I am setting myself up for long-term financial growth.”
The linebacker added that he wanted to “set an example for other young athletes.”
Tagoa’i is not the only Bitcoin bull in the world of professional football. Odell Beckham Jr. decided to have his entire $750,000 salary paid in Bitcoin in 2021, in partnership with Block Inc.’s Cash App, after signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
Beckham later mocked his critics in a post on X, formerly Twitter, after the price of Bitcoin broke the $100,000 barrier following the recent US presidential election.
Some NFL players may have found financial success by choosing to receive their multimillion-dollar salaries in Bitcoin. Former Super Bowl champion Russell Okung was the first known NFL star to choose to have his salary paid in Bitcoin when he signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2020. He asked to receive half of his paycheck — $6.6 million — in Bitcoin.
If Okung didn’t sell his Bitcoin, his stake could now be worth more than $20 million, based on price changes since then.
Okung is pushing for more NFL players to be paid in Bitcoin. In November, it announced that it wants to ensure that players in its new flag football league, Bitball, are paid in Bitcoin.
“We’re moving away from seeing athletes running out of money and losing generational wealth,” he told Decrypt in an interview.
Bitcoin payments are becoming increasingly common in sports other than the NFL. Golfers Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler recently received $5 million each after winning a golf tournament sponsored by Crypto.com.
Edited by Stacy Elliott.
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